The Acolyte: Character breakdown and what we know so far

Star Wars: The Acolyte (starring Amandla Stenberg) is one of the most anticipated series on Disney+ because, for the first time in live-action, Star Wars will tell a story outside of the era of The Skywalker Saga.

Creator Leslye Headland of Russian Doll fame is thrilled to be telling a tale from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, specifically 100 years before The Phantom Menace, at the tail end of an era known to many book fans as The High Republic. The series will explore a Jedi investigation into a series of crimes that appear to involve an agent of the dark side and will delve deeper into the surrounding mystery as it unravels.

In anticipation of the series’ two-episode premiere on June 4th, 2024, let's break down all the characters we know about so far in the show.

Sol

Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game, is seen teaching Jedi younglings in the opening shots of the trailer for The Acolyte. He tells the children that their eyes can deceive them. While he is a well-respected Jedi Master, could this be a morally questionable character who signifies the beginning of the Jedi's gradual fall from grace?                                             

Indara

Another Jedi Master featured in the trailer for The Acolyte is the highly skilled Master Indara, played by veteran actor Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from The Matrix).  She is utilizing her on-screen fighting skills once again in what appears to be a physical contest against Amandla Stenberg’s character.  Interesting detail to note that in the character databank on starwars.com, she is the only character with a related link to Jedi Master Yoda (which would be a fan-favorite inclusion that would make perfect sense in this series of The High Republic era).

Yord

A young Jedi Knight named Yord appears in The Acolyte trailer, portrayed by Charlie Barnett (who also appeared in Leslye Headland’s Russian Doll series). StarWars.com describes him as a ‘by-the-book Jedi’ whose mind can be clouded by his tendencies to overachieve and follow rules. This could prove to be an interesting piece of the progressing puzzle.

Kelnacca

Another Jedi in The Acolyte trailer, Kelnacca, is revealed to be a Wookiee, just like fan-favorites Chewbacca, Krrsantan, and even Burryaga of The High Republic novels (who was also a Jedi!). Joonas Suotamo is embodying the Wookiee, just as he has been portraying modern-day Chewy since The Force Awakens in 2015 after Peter Mayhew passed on the mantle.

Vernestra Rwoh

Rebecca Henderson (also in Headland’s Russian Doll) plays a major character from The High Republic novels. Vernestra Rwoh debuted in the first canon middle-grade novel A Test of Courage and has been a staple character ever since. She has some similarities to Ahsoka Tano in that she became a Jedi at a very young age and, after having experienced major trauma, is attempting to heal by distancing herself from the Jedi Order. Readers of The High Republic novels will be on high alert to see if we will get a chance to see her purple lightsaber that can convert into a lightwhip in action in The Acolyte.

We did a full history breakdown about Vernestra Rwoh and everything you need to know about her which you can check out here.

Qimir

There is a blink and you might miss a shot of Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) as Qimir, who starwars.com describes as a former smuggler turned trader who lives a frivolous life.  In the original trilogy, a merchant would have to be content with the Empire in control of the galaxy, but in The Acolyte, we’ll see what kind of relationship Qimir has with the Jedi.

Mother Aniseya

According to starwars.com, Mother Aniseya (played by Jodie Turner-Smith) leads a coven of witches who keep to their own and possess Force powers. The only other witches that have been introduced in live-action were the Nightsisters of the Ahsoka series, so it remains a mystery whether this particular coven in The Acolyte will embrace the Light or the Dark side of the Force. Or maybe they're a neutral but dangerous third party like The Path of the Open Hand.

Jecki

Many fans are keen (pun intended!) about the idea of Dafne Keen (who played X-23 in Logan) joining the Star Wars galaxy. The Acolyte trailer reveals that she will be playing a half-Theelin Padawan Jecki who is apprentice to Jedi Master Sol.  The relationship between Master and Apprentice is always fascinating, so Jecki’s role in the unfolding galactic crime mystery is bound to be important.

Mae

Amandla Stenberg appears to be at the center of the action as Mae, getting swept up in a sinister series of events where the Dark Side of the Force is at play. Does Mae have a complicated history involving one or more of the Jedi previously mentioned? Is she the titular character, or is that someone else that we will discover?

Tune in on June 4th, 2024, to Disney Plus to watch the mystery of The Acolyte unfold…